No-Nonsense Guide To Buying Muay Thai Bags

What should you look for when buying Muay Thai bags? And just how many bags will make a complete Muay Thai training arsenal? The use of training bags is essential to traditional Muay Thai training. It allows a fighter to work on various areas to improve their game. From strengthening the shins and knuckles to developing synergy on one’s rhythm and timing, enhancing performance on combinations as well as footwork and movement.

Aside from improving endurance via conditioning drills, it is also known to help fighter focus on enhancing his or her reflexes and in fortifying better defense systems during the game.

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With this, it is only fitting to find the right kind of bags to ensure that these benefits will be fully enjoyed. To get you started, here are important guidelines to consider.

1. If you are buying Muay Thai bags, it is your priority to get the most out of your hard-earned money. Some fighters will buy only a banana bag but competitive ones may have to go with as much as 4 or 5 specialty training bags to zoom-in to their benefits. Also, a fighter who wishes to open a commercial gym for the first time may need more than just 2 or 5 depending on the demand. As a primary concern, your budget and its purpose must be clearly identified prior to picking a brand.

2. There are many types of Muay Thai training bags and each one holds a different focus in terms of training.

Classic Heavy Bag. This classic is often seen in various gyms across the globe. It’s usually 4 feet long weighing approximately 60 to 150lbs depending on its fillings, which also determine the “swing” mechanism of the bag. Fast-swinging bags enable development of reflexes, foot work and movement. Here’s a classic Muay Thai Filled Heavy Bag from Outslayer. Made in the USA, it is made of highly durable vinyl and filled with compressed fabric. This can be filled up to 300pounds and requires no additional chains as its heavy-duty straps and padded strings can stand on their own.

Banana Bag. Another commonly used Muay Thai bag is the Banana Heavy Bag. It is predominantly used to aid low kicks and kicking combinations performance. It is 6 feet in height and width is half of a classic heavy bag. Long and slim yet, this bag is stuffed with harder and more compressed material to help increase potency of shin conditioning. For your Banana Heavy Bag, this filled banana bag from top-rated brand Fairtex makes a lot of difference. Great for developing front kicks, knee strickes and foot jabs, it is filled with industrial-strength nylon webbing reinforced with rivets and stitching at strategic contact points fully encased in highly durable synthetic leather material. This is specially handmade in Thailand.

Tear-Shaped Bag. The punching and knee bag in Muay Thai. Shaped in a unique manner, it aims to develop knee strikes, uppercuts and hooks — from different strategic angles. Its narrow top allows strong griphold when practicing knee strickes at close angle while its wide angle prevent too much swinging. Designed with premium leather construction, the Fairtex Teardrop Leather Heavy Bag is perfect for stand-up, knee strikes, clinching, and punching as well as high kicks. Lining is ultra heavy-duty, water-resistant and non-tear nylon complemented with nylon web straps. It is mostly filled with clothes strips.

Other Muay Thai bags which can be freely added to your training arsenal are — angled heavy bags which develop uppercuts and body shots. Of course, a boxing bag like the Contender Fight Sports Body Snatcher Bag will also help develop a fighter’s boxing prowess.

In knowing what movement or combination you wish to put focus on will help greatly in picking the right Muay Thai bag or bags on this aspects.

3. Of course, there are other important considerations beside choosing the type of Muay Thai bags, too. Think about: the material, filling (when buying Muay Thai bags filled in advance), weight of the bag, hanging method, and price. Materials usually range from leather to vinyl, synthetic leader and plastic, and can often reflect its lifespan, durability, comfort, hardness, and its feedback. Do take note that the fancier materials used often reflect greatly on its size.

4. As mentioned, a Muay Thai bag’s swing is determined greatly by the weight of the bag’s filling. While lighter bags swing greatly, heavier ones offer more resistance. If possible, go for one that offers solid resistance to the training.

5. Choosing to fill or buy “filled” training bags for Muay Thai is a matter of personal preference. There are, however, filled bags from reliable brands that offer stuffings made of cloth or fabric, water, sand, foam, or gel material. Common filling of handmade Thailand Muay Thai bags are made of shredded fabric or cloth while others have foam or gel. Sand filled ones are more common in banana heavy bags.

6. Another important matter to consider is the area where the bag or bags wil be placed. Is there strong support to secure a heavy bag? Will you need wall brackets or a bag stand? Identifying the way you will hang the bag will greatly impact the type of bag to choose.

7. Unless you have money-growing trees, your budget must also be carefully considered. There are many brand names of Muay Thai bags but often, the best ones are quite pricey. Unfilled bags are, of course, cheaper than filled ones. So if low on budget, choose this complete set of unfilled training bags. Simply stuff them with shredded cloth and you’re good to go.

Without a doubt, any of the training bags mentioned will make a fighter enhance his or her performance on the ring. However, adequate analysis must be done on the type of materials you want as well as the weight, filling material, and securing of bags vis-a-vis to your training needs and potential as well as area to do the training and budget. In everything else, buying Muay Thai bags must be carefully assessed before simply jumping on whatever is available or popular in the market.